CONVENTIONAL WISDOM (?)

Dear Friends:

I have often thought the notion of "conventional wisdom" to be at least a misnomer if not a classically-constructed oxymoron. Wisdom is, by its rare nature, unconventional. The person with wisdom is the exception, not the convention. Depending upon the venue (and the tax-deductibility), it is often, in fact, wise to avoid a convention in its entirety, what with its crowd of obstreperous drunken persons stumbling all over eachother, and all too often festooned with silly-looking hats adorned with tassels or animal parts. But, I have digressed.

What follows, upon first reading (and you will read it several times, likely beginning with the first) gives the appearance of being a philosophical musing. It is not. It is a serious bit of knowledge to keep constantly in mind when dealing with other persons in any situation:

"The truth is is very rarely spoken by any person at any time; rather, the truth is ultimately made apparent by action over time. To learn the truth, it is often preferable to observe than to merely listen. Watch behavior rather than listen to rhetoric. Turn off the volume and watch the facial expressions and gesticulations during a re-telecasting of a political debate or speech to develop a sense of this. Also, consistent conduct over time should be seriously regarded in evaluating truthfulness.

"As any well-trained interrogator will attest, applying pain does not necessarily accelerate the disclosure of the truth...it more commonly coerces any conduct or words that will afford the subject a moment's respite from the torture. Prisoners often tell an interrogator what they believe that the interrogator wants or expects to hear, just to be delivered from a world of pain in that moment. False confessions are obtained by 'interrogators' every day in this manner."

--Douglas E. Castle

Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, and check for posts on the second week of December.

As always, thank you for visiting.

Faithfully,

Douglas E. Castle